What are the negative aspects of not being religious?

[HawkPerception]

What do you lose from not being religious?

Go nuts anons. I'm letting y'all roam free on this one.

[TheRealPepperPotts]

Since I am a Christian, I don't think I'm in a position to evaluate that. But, my faith is part of my identity and when I think about not having it, it's a terrifying thought.

If I chose to reject my faith, I would lose everything. My entire life would implode and my good name would be shattered into a million pieces. Nearly every friend I thought I had would fade out of my life unless they thought they could bring me back. Not only that, but everything I've built my life around, every habit, every pattern, would be thrown into chaos. That's just the collateral damage.

Inside, I would be destroyed by the thought of never seeing anyone who has died again. How do we mentally process the death of consciousness? What is a soul? Is awareness real? How is good determined and by what? With all the variables in people's environmental and family of origin, how do we determine ethics apart from religious training? Do the courts decide? Do corporations decide? Does how we feel decide? What is honor and how do we create acceptable perimeters for it? A million and one questions arise.

Perhaps it's all a fantasy and it makes me a weak person in the eyes of many. But there are truths beyond cold facts that speak to our hearts in ways that bare materialism never can for me. I know only my thoughts and heart on this, though, and what is unthinkable for me may be manageable for someone else.

I don't want to bore you with my personal spiritual walk, but there are enough things I have been through that I'd rather struggle through life with God, blind and weak, than strong and confident without Him. Life will destroy everything we ever thought it could be for us. And for me, the peace that belief brings, as naive and silly as it is, is comfort and strength in times of struggle. This is purely my thought process, and you know I respect your position. :D

[TheRealPepperPotts]

@HawkPerception That's kind. Thank you for the MHO. :D

[HawkPerception]

Always great input from you Ms. Potts. You're always appreciated in my posts 😊

[DishLady]

I'm religious, so I'm with @DizzyDesii. Because I was married to a guy who had no sense of spirituality it made things impossible... he had a temporary moral compass he was basing off of what he knew I'd like, but ultimately that faded and he had no sense of right and wrong.

While being part of an organized religion isn't a must, spirituality and faith MOST CERTAINLY is. My faith is what helped me survive every curveball tossed in my direction, every obstacle in my path... I wouldn't be alive without it. I raised my family with these values as well... so

The negatives of not being religious -- from what I've observed in seeing so many atheists -- is that many of them are lost, morally floundering, and tend to be confused about things that can only be explained by divine intervention.

[DizzyDesii]

My ex was sooo lost and he def didn't see any wrong in a lot of what he or others did. I saw that when he also thought it was fun to steal the bike of a homeless person “for fun”. Religion aside, he simply had no morals

[HawkPerception]

I understand your point of view, but I've never been religious in my life and I believe I've had a pretty good natural moral compass. I genuinely believe that some people are just more philosophically inclined, introspective, and empathetic than others.

And I don't believe you need religion to teach you right from wrong. You're taught right and wrong from emotions in life. When your loved ones raise you with love and care, you develop a bond with them and you learn positive emotions through experiences going through life yourself and experiences with them and you also learn negative emotions from the same thing. Negative emotions cause you to know that those are wrong morally. If you see your loved ones hurt, you feel anger. If you see them suffering from an illness, you feel helpless and frustration. If they die, you feel remorse. And if they have good things happen to them, you feel good for them. If they do things for you, you feel happy and gratitude.

It doesn't take religion to have a moral compass.

My aim with all of this isn't to convince you of my standpoint, but to simply share my own logic.

[DishLady]

@HawkPerception, perhaps “religion” is simply the wrong term. “FAITH” is something I see in basically every one of your thoughtful posts and questions… It’s the combination of faith and morality that shape what we do and don’t believe, how we act, etc.

[HawkPerception]

@DishLady I really appreciate the words and I understand your intention with them. You're a genuinely good person just trying to spread good will and show people the brighter side of things if it's within your power.

[DishLady]

@HawkPerception
Thanks, HP. :)

[DizzyDesii]

@HawkPerception Thats why i said “religion aside” because i also dont think you need religion to know right from wrong. He just wasn't a good person

[HawkPerception]

@DizzyDesii Fair enough 😊

[DizzyDesii]

The main thing a guy would lose if he isn’t religious is… me. I want to be with someone who believes in the Lord and worships him. Idc to much if the person is in a denomination/religion or how often they go to church/read the bible. But I want someone who i know truly believes, respects my beliefs, and will pray before bed every night with me. I’ve tried twice to date someone who felt opposite. One was a full on nonbeliever and the other was questioning. We didn't work and im pretty sure i saw the demonic side of the “questioning” one during a prayer after he said I could pray for us. He went nuts. Really scared me

[HawkPerception]

Understandable. I also believe in similar views being an important aspect of compatibility.

How did the questioning guy come across as demonic though? I don't get it.

[DizzyDesii]

His overall reaction. His eyes, the shift in his behavior, and attitude. Full on diff person. Plus he found stuff funny like his grandma burning bibles given to her by the jehovas. Just odd

[HawkPerception]

I don't consider myself demonic, but I'm not gonna lie... you might hate me for it, but I'd also find it pretty funny as long as she's not doing it to disrespect others.

It's not like I'm gonna condemn my grandma for her views. Just an fyi, my whole family except me and and my dad are Catholic/Christian. Even my brother is converting to be Christian right now even when he's 28 and about to get married to his fiancee.

[DizzyDesii]

She definitely did it to be disrespectful and i would have lost all respect for a fam member who did that. One of my grandmas had demonic ways until like a year or two
Ago when she got cancer and then overcame it. Now she's a changed woman and a better woman

[HawkPerception]

That's fair.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

The one thing I think I lost from the church was the sense of direction it provided me. It’s easy to give yourself a purpose when you live in a community that centers around the will of a specific deity. There is a significant lack of spirituality all around, the domination of Christianity has tainted the idea of having something spiritual in one’s life that let’s them believe in something beyond this one and so people find it easier to reject all forms of spirituality rather than embrace one that is different from this overbearing religious culture that’s so heavily ingrained itself in the West. I personally think that’s something of a shame.

[Anonymous]

Other than discrimination from religious folks, (who have this notion that unless you believe in God, you are just a despicable degenerate) I can't think of any other serious downsides to not being religious. Atheism or agnosticism won't determine your overall destiny. Your education, your sense of self worth, your sense of integrity, your character will. Being an Atheist, or a Theist for that matter, is (or should be) a private aspect of your life. Believing or not believing in the existence of a God needs not be a label etched on your forehead. People are just trying to scare you away from having the freedom they aren’t brave enough to have for themselves.

[Dongie]

I'm not what one would call religious. I'm not that much of a church gore although I found a church that I do enjoy going to. I enjoy the way the folks on class direct a verse. I have a 4th cousin that shares the teaching. He's pretty smart for a lawyer. I like him more than he figures. He's a liberal and cussed me out 3 years ago for voting for Trump. Two weeks later, as gas spiked to near $4 a gallon I gave him a ring. After asking him was he enjoying bidens work. He got flustered and o ly got out, block my number.
He wanted me to block his number on my phone.
I haven't been able to go with all the illegal political assaults and then assassination attempts on the king. But I will be back soon.

[NamerOfStars]

Practical possibility. Humans aren't wired to not be religious, and unless you're particularly narrow in your definitions, I'd argue it's not really possible for us to. Pleasure, power, fear, sex, and so on are natural things, and most wouldn't call them gods, but they worship them all the same, and if it walks like a god and quacks like a god...

[OfMiceandMen]

I'm not an overly religious man, but I am an ethical person and spiritual too just not your typical congregation type religious faiths. My beliefs are more from indigenous teachings and our bond/respect with nature.

[Billlewis]

Well, the main drawback of not being pious is that you know whatever you're going to get is right here, right now. There aren't any reservations for pie in the sky.

[FunkyMonkee]

I can't think of any!! A win/win situation all around!

[exitseven]

burning in Hell.

[HawkPerception]

Do you genuinely believe that?

[exitseven]

yes. you will roast on the end of a , pitchfork.

[HawkPerception]

Then I guess I will 😂